the most surprised you've been on a dive

[KathyV]

Once on night dive in the Bahamas the surprising thing was - me!

We were diving off a livaboard and I found a Caribbean octopus and showed it to a member of our group. He went nuts and started taking pictures like crazy. In an instant a whole gaggle of divers had surrounded this little octopus and they were pawing it and blinding it with many lights and taking tons of flash photos. The poor thing kept trying to get away but they had it surrounded and it couldn't escape. It even inked them in desperation.

I was so angry that they were molesting the little octopus that, without even thinking about it, I pushed my way into the circle and shock my finger at them! Then I went round the circle and turned off their dive lights while the octopus escaped in the confusion.

When we got back on board they were all mad at me but I didn't care because they were terrorizing that octopus and I didn't like it.

My husband says that he has never laughed so hard underwater as he did when he saw me turning off their lights!

 

[mikeb21072]

I had just dropped down from the surface and when I rolled into a horizontal position, a massive eagle ray was staring right at me. It never changed coarse and glided past just beneath me. I will never forget that moment.

 

[wico6768]

Tiger shark, among the corals off Fakarava.

He was HUGE, and appeared suddenly, maybe 6 feet from us and right in front of our guide, then just as fast turned and swam off. It didn't register with me until after, what I had just seen. The guide was using hand signals to try to tell us, my husband got it but I guess my brain wouldn't. I was thinking why does that reef shark look so fat?

Anyway, husband got a pic of him when he turned to swim away.

Also, white tips getting ready to mate

And, a brand new dolphin baby nursing

Those were some really great things to see

And, the giant manta who hang out with us, right over us, for quite some time just circling around us.

Then, the shark clone, right after we dropped just outside the pass in Rangiroa, we were surrounded in what was like a funnel of various reef sharks, above and below as far as you could see. That was awesome. We stayed there about 5 - 10 minutes then did our dive along the reef.

 

[ironandchrome]

I was diving Z's reef ( near Tacoma ) and felt something brush my leg. I peered down, and saw a dogfish trying to... hump my leg? is the best I can describe it. Claspers...it was so weird. And I suspect nobody will believe it for a second, but it's true.

Second story was a cabezon who kept charging me at Edmonds UW Park. He charged me at least two times- yes- it hurts - when I finally turned my tank toward him on his last charge. And I heard him hit the tank hard! BONG! Like ringing a bell. It was great.

 

[Kharon]

I just dove the Hollis 500SE. I actually forgot I was breathing through a reg. It was like having gills - except I still ran low on air and had to surface.